WordPress Vs Wix: Which One’s Better?

When you are getting started with building websites, choosing the best content management system can be confusing. A lot of people go for WordPress, because it is the most popular CMS in use in the world, but this does not mean that it is the only option available. Wix is a great website builder too, popular in its own sense but not as popular as WordPress. What you need to know is that you have to go for the best. You do not want to commit so much time and energy in a website builder that does not offer what you really need. Both Wix and WordPress are great website builders but they are quite different too. Here is how they differ:

1. In their ease of use

When compared to WordPress, Wix is way easier to use. It is a web building tool that was designed and built in order to specifically cater for the needs of non-developers. Even though it has customization limits, it is a lot easier to use if you do not have any coding skills. Learning to use Wix is a lot faster, with less headache.

People choose WordPress over Wix mainly because of its flexibility. It is a little bit complex especially for non-developers though. WordPress is best suited for people who know a little bit of coding in order to modify the codes to suit them. Since it is highly customizable, you can achieve what you have in mind easily.

If you have no coding skills, this may be difficult to achieve and this means that you will not get exactly what you need with WordPress. You however might have to hire a skilled WordPress developer, which can be costly.

2. In their flexibility

WordPress is a very flexible open source platform. Its code is usually open for everyone to use and also to modify to suit what they intend to use. This gives room to programmers to use WordPress in order to create their own plugins and themes, which can be downloaded and used by others for free or at a small fee. This is the reason why the WordPress community is large, which is an advantage and also a disadvantage.

Wix on the other hand is not an open source platform. This means that its code is not easily accessible to people to modify and use as they please. Wix has its own team of developers, who are mandated with the building of tools that are used by Wix developers.

While this places Wix on the disadvantage, it is important to imagine the types and quality of plugins and themes you can download from WordPress as compared to what you get from Wix.

3. Maintenance

WordPress ensures that its platform is always up to date in order to fix bugs an also to enhance security. However, you have to update your website too, so as to benefit from those updates. This is different if you are using a custom theme; some developers will update theirs and others will not. You have to be on the lookout at all times if you want to keep your website safe from attacks. What WordPress users do is to take charge of their own website maintenance, which is a lot of additional work.

Wix users on the other hand do not have to do a thing to keep their website secure. This is because all their updates are done by its technical team, and then the updated are deployed directly to the users’ site. The technical team ensures that the platform is up to date and secure at all times, therefore its users do not have to worry about attacks.

4. Support

WordPress seems to have greater support when compared to Wix. WordPress is very popular and for this reason, it has a great community of users, who exchange ideas and offer help every day. For a new user, it will be very easy to get started because the support is there when you need it. There are numerous tutorials online too, to help you get started and achieve the best results with WordPress. The only problem is in identifying those that are genuine and the ones that are not.

Wix has great support too, but its support services are offered by its focused support team. They offer help and support to their users for the users to troubleshoot issues they are facing while developing their websites. The platform has created a lot of videos and articles too as well as great forums that are geared towards offering the kind of help you might need as you build your websites. Help is offered through emails and scheduled phone calls too.

5. The costs

Since it is important to consider the cost when you are creating your website, it is important to know how different WordPress users are charged when compared to Wix. To start with, Wix offers 5 premium pricing plans, from which its users can pick the most suitable for them. There are different packages, which costs between $7 and $30 if you need a month to month payment plan. The first one does not have so many features and it is the cheapest of all. The cost goes up the list since you get to access more features.
WordPress users on the other hand will require a hosting service, which costs about $7 per month. With this, you will need to pay for a theme because the free themes available are usually not attractive. Great themes cost between $30 and $80 depending on the reputation of the developer and the reliability of the theme.

More functionality will cost you if you choose to go for a paid plugin. Finally, you will need to pay for your own domain name.

From the comparison, it is clear that both WordPress and Wix are great in their own way. Choosing one over the other will therefore be a matter of personal preference. If you are just a beginner and you do not have a WordPress developer in mind to help you get started, Wix might be a better choice.